Changing circumstances and developing needs often require the replacement of existing pavement by new and, generally, sturdier and wider pavement. This is particularly true where secondary roads between population centers must be replaced by multi-lane highways over many miles.
Numerous forms of pavement breaking apparatus have been proposed and, in fact, are in use today. Such apparatus ranges from the simple pick and shovel, through pneumatic or hydraulic jack-hammers and front end loaders, to multi-bladed power-driven blades that essentially chop up existing pavement in place to serve as the base for a new road with a fresh pavement.
A need exists, however, for apparatus that can in one pass rapdily and economically break up the entire width of an existing pavement, remove the debris (including typical steel reinforcement included therein), and leave the ground substantially ready to receive the new pavement immediately thereafter.